We live in a culture built to keep us angry, outraged, and offended. But Jesus said in Luke 17 that offenses are sure to come, so the real question isn't whether you'll get hurt. It's what you do with it.

In this message, Pastor Phil opens Week 1 of "Don't Take the Bait: Escaping Offense, Gossip, and Bitterness" by walking through three steps for handling offense biblically: expect the bait, examine your heart, and engage with grace. You'll learn the difference between being hurt (which isn't always a choice) and staying offended (which usually is), how to tell whether an offense should be overlooked or addressed, and why anger, even anger that feels justified, doesn't produce the righteousness of God.

Texts covered: Proverbs 19:11, James 1:19–20, Luke 17:1–4

Human love may walk us to the edge of the grave, but the love of Jesus carries us through it.

In the final message of our Longing series, Pastor Phil Graves walks through Song of Solomon 8:5–14 and explores a love that endures the wilderness, bears the mark of covenant, remains powerful and priceless, and ultimately points beyond itself to Jesus.

Song of Solomon celebrates the gift of marriage, but it does not teach that marriage completes us. Whether you are married, single, widowed, divorced, or carrying wounds from a difficult relationship, the deepest longing of your heart can only be satisfied by the One who created it.

In this message:

• Lasting love walks through the wilderness
• Lasting love bears the mark of covenant
• Lasting love is powerful, priceless, and worth protecting
• Lasting love points beyond itself to Jesus

Song of Solomon tells us that human love is strong as death. The gospel reveals a love that is stronger than death. Nothing in all creation can separate those who belong to Jesus from His love.

Primary Scripture: Song of Solomon 8:5–14

Additional Scriptures: Galatians 6:2; Psalm 68:5–6; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:19; Genesis 2:24; 1 Corinthians 13:4–5; Revelation 22:17, 20; Romans 8:38–39

This message was preached by Pastor Phil Graves at Lake Lynn Baptist Church in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

What happens when the butterflies fade?

Falling in love can happen in a moment. Building a love that lasts takes a lifetime.

In Week 5 of LONGING, Pastor Phil Graves continues through Song of Solomon 6–8 and explores what love looks like after the excitement of the beginning, after familiarity sets in, and even after conflict has tested the relationship.

Mature love keeps seeing beauty. It knows where it belongs. It understands God's good design for intimacy. It continues pursuing. It protects love with healthy boundaries. And most importantly, it keeps choosing.

"I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me." — Song of Solomon 7:10

Our culture often treats love as something we fall into and out of depending on how we feel. Biblical covenant love says something different:

I chose you then, and I'm still choosing you now.

Marriage isn't the gospel, but the faithfulness we see in a healthy covenant relationship helps us understand something about the God who created love in the first place.

Jesus loved us first.
Jesus pursued us.
Jesus sacrificed for us.
Jesus remains faithful.

Our faithfulness will always be imperfect, but His never is.

Whether you're married, single, dating, or simply trying to understand what biblical love looks like, this message challenges us to move beyond a love based only on feelings and discover a love built on faithfulness, pursuit, sacrifice, and covenant.

Scripture: Song of Solomon 6–8
Series: LONGING
Message: Still Choosing You: A Love That Lasts